This disclosure is directed to the qualitative and quantitative detection of thyroid autoantibodies in non-human species.
The laboratory diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease is determined by demonstrating elevated levels of autoantibodies directed against thyroid hormones and related proteins in serum or plasma. Measurement of thyroid autoantibodies in serum by radioimmunoassay (RIA) is currently an important clinical diagnostic and research tool to determine whether an individual is affected with autoimmune thyroid disease, one of the most common endocrine disorders of humans and domestic animals.
Thus, as physicians and veterinary clinicians have become increasingly aware of the prevalence of thyroid disorders, the demand for practical and inexpensive screening tests for thyroid dysfunction has arisen. Currently the RIA procedures require equipment that needs labor intensive operation, potentially toxic reagents, sophisticated technology, and skilled technologists. These tests are labor-intensive assays which increase the actual and retail cost of the assay.
There is a need within the field for sensitive assays which are quantitative, specific, safe and easy to perform, and have increased efficiency.
No simple, safe immunological screening assay for the autoimmune type of thyroid disorders has been available in the form of sophisticated quantitative assays of thyroid hormones.
Radioimmunoassay methods are presently used to measure thyroid-autoantibodies in humans and the non-human species.
A disadvantage of the above assay methods is their dependency on the use of radioisotopes, which are no longer considered safe for users or the environment.